(opinions on just about anything)

More people claim the name Michael Jackson than the popular pop singer. Indeed, considering the relatively common occurrence of Michael as a first name and Jackson as a last name, it is surprising there aren’t more famous Michael Jacksons. Maybe they prefer to go by Mike?

In beer worlds the name Michael Jackson refers to the iconic beer critic. He has written books on beer and filmed televisions on beer. Late night talk shows have had him as a guest. Jackson spent his life traveling the world, tasting obscure beers.

When I first started <I>really</I> getting into beer I would go to Barnes & Noble and stand next to the cooking section where the beer books were located and flipping through the various books. Jacksons always seemed like the authoritative tome on the subject. Then I saw him on Jay Leno. He seemed totally wrapped up in his own beer world. Leno didn’t seem to quite know what to do with him, but tried some of the beers Jackson brought along to sample.

When asked what the worst beer out there was, he responded “Corona.”

I disagree, finding Corona more tolerable than the Bud Lights and Miller Lights of the world. Still not a beer I would buy, however.

Anyway, the world minus one Michael Jackson. Pop music lives on. Beer lives on. Yet we will miss a beer legend.

Weyerbacher doesn’t often get mentioned in the same breath as other great breweries. Yet it is surprising considering the consistency and quality of beers they produce. The Double Simcoe IPA is amazing. It is a very floral IPA with just the right balance.

It is also one of the rare beers which is almost as amazing out of a bottle as it is on tap. I had it awhile back on tap, but last night was at a pub with it in a bottle. So I ordered it and it came out in a bottle that looked more like a wine bottle than a beer bottle. It was probably double the size of most normal beer bottles. It reminded me of those large Yuengling Lager bottles I see at concerts at the Chameleon Club. And, somehow, it was only $4 for the whole kit ‘n’ kabootle. At a 9% alcohol content it is a good thing I wasn’t driving. I’d love to find a way to get a six pack of it, however. Just a superb beer.

Weyerbacher is located in Easton, PA. I have no idea where that is, other than it allows me to feel pride that such a great brewery is in my state. (PA is actually quite rich is microbreweries. I certainly don’t complain.) They started in 1995 and, unfortunately, lack a brewpub. If they had a brewpub I’d definitely trek out there sometime.

Lancaster Brewing Company has been a mainstay in the local beer scene for a while. While I find their stuff out of bottles a tad bland, I always enjoy going to the brewpub and getting their stuff on tap. They name the beers in a way that feels delightfully local, considering the Amish/farming community Lancaster offers. There is a Milk Stout, the Hop Hog IPA, the Amish 4 Grain Pale Ale… etc and so forth.

I’ve been there a number of times and usually try one that I’ve never tried before, in addition to a pint of the Hop Hog, the good ol’ standby. However, this time the most impressive beer was a cask conditioned mixture that I’ve never seen before. Apparently they blended the Hop Hog and the Milk Stout creating a stout that was hoppy… or an IPA that was dark and stouty. Anyway, it was quite delicious and it would be cool to see them make that a frequent addition to their tap lineup. It made me wonder if getting bottles and mixing the two would create something similar. If so that would be quite fun.

The Milk Stout is one of the few stouts I really can drink and enjoy. It certainly has that lactose feeling to it, which, as a milk fan, is certainly not a bad thing. Part of the reason I’m not too fond of stouts is how they feel in my mouth. The Milk Stout has a mouth feel that is more alive.

Oh, and the pizza I got from LBC was fantastic. Although I might have to try their Reuben sandwich at some point. But it was a good evening for sure. If you like microbrews and are in the Lancaster area, give the place a try. If nothing else, the atmosphere should make it a winner.

“Glory, glory hallelujah…” goes the common refrain. In this case it is a reference to my discovery of wordpress, which looks like an honest-to-goodness free (FREE!) serious blog site. I had always been under the opinion that Xanga served my needs quite nicely. I still think that Xanga would work great for serious blogs. I mean, the set up and layout is great. There are two serious problems with xanga. 1) You have to become a xanga member to comment. 2) The general population has Xanga stereotyped as a social journal kind of site. Regardless, I have no qualms in acquiring more of a serious blog on which I will various reviews and commentaries. The Xanga shall continue to exist for updates on me. And it was good.

I am into music, particularly that of a quirky/avant-garde nature. Examples: Sonic Youth, The Residents, The Fiery Furnaces, The Danielson Famile, and so forth. I also like normal indie stuff: Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, Hella, The Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, blah blah blah. And more mainstream things: Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Bjork, Kelly Clarkson, The White Stripes, etc. There are very few genres I don’t appriciate to some extent, although I have a tough time enjoying emo, ska, and r&b.

Movies are pretty cool, and although I don’t pretend to be an expert on them, I will talk about them occasionally. I tend to gravitate toward the pretentious serious films like anything from the Tarantino catalog: specifically Jackie Brown, although Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill are both excellent. I also quite enjoy comedies like Office Space, The Princess Bride, and Saved!. Not to mention anything Monty Python related. In fact, British humor is definitely more my speed.

I would say I love books more than movies on the whole. My favorite authors include Madeleine L’Engle, Tad Williams, J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, and oodles more I am forgetting at the moment. My genre of choice right now seems to be children’s or adolecent fantasy because it does a much better job of capturing the spirit of fantasy than a lot of adult fantasy which insists on throwing in obnoxious, gratuitous sex and stuff.

The one thing most people don’t realize about me when they meet me is my fanatical obsession with Phillies baseball. I am a huge, huge fan and I watch every game that I can on TV. Also a big fan of football (go Eagles)… but nothing really rivals my commitment to the Phillies. The one sport I truly, honestly hate with a passion is basketball. Really, what is the point?

I am a beer snob. I love microbrews. Thankfully Central PA has quite a few very good ones… and is only an hour and a half drive to Philadelphia where there is a whole slew of microbreweries. And hey, we have Stoudts! Every month some church friends and I go to a brewpub and check out the local goods. Expect opinions and reviews on beers right after such trips.

Television. I am a much bigger fan of the products created for TV than the big screen. I mean, Arrested Development? Futurama? Classics. Then there is the old Police Squad show that lasted exactly six episodes before getting canceled… the creators of that went on to do movies like Naked Gun and Airplane!. And can’t forget Monty Python’s Flying Circus… that was one of my best ebay finds.

I have long been a creator of content on the internet. I started off on h2g2.com, a website created by the awesome and clever Douglas Adams, who wrote the entirely too funny Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I was young and naive. It’s a good site but I only go back really once a year and try to remember my bloody log-in info. Then I moved on to the afore mentioned xanga and blogcritics, of which blogcritics is the most prestigious. Check it out, it’s awesome. Blogcritics.org, a “sinister cabal of superior writers.”

The last thing I shall mention in my virgin post here is that I go to Millersville University where I am in the process of making sure everyone realizes that I am totally awesome.

About Me

I am into music, particularly that of a quirky/avant-garde nature. Examples: Sonic Youth, The Residents, The Fiery Furnaces, The Danielson Famile, and so forth. I also like normal indie stuff: Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, Hella, The Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, blah blah blah. And more mainstream things: Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Bjork, Kelly Clarkson, The White Stripes, etc. There are very few genres I don’t appriciate to some extent, although I have a tough time enjoying emo, ska, and r&b.

Movies are pretty cool, and although I don’t pretend to be an expert on them, I will talk about them occasionally. I tend to gravitate toward the pretentious serious films like anything from the Tarantino catalog: specifically Jackie Brown, although Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill are both excellent. I also quite enjoy comedies like Office Space, The Princess Bride, and Saved!. Not to mention anything Monty Python related. In fact, British humor is definitely more my speed.

I would say I love books more than movies on the whole. My favorite authors include Madeleine L’Engle, Tad Williams, J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, and oodles more I am forgetting at the moment. My genre of choice right now seems to be children’s or adolecent fantasy because it does a much better job of capturing the spirit of fantasy than a lot of adult fantasy which insists on throwing in obnoxious, gratuitous sex and stuff.

The one thing most people don’t realize about me when they meet me is my fanatical obsession with Phillies baseball. I am a huge, huge fan and I watch every game that I can on TV. Also a big fan of football (go Eagles)… but nothing really rivals my commitment to the Phillies. The one sport I truly, honestly hate with a passion is basketball. Really, what is the point?

I am a beer snob. I love microbrews. Thankfully Central PA has quite a few very good ones… and is only an hour and a half drive to Philadelphia where there is a whole slew of microbreweries. And hey, we have Stoudts! Every month some church friends and I go to a brewpub and check out the local goods. Expect opinions and reviews on beers right after such trips.

Television. I am a much bigger fan of the products created for TV than the big screen. I mean, Arrested Development? Futurama? Classics. Then there is the old Police Squad show that lasted exactly six episodes before getting canceled… the creators of that went on to do movies like Naked Gun and Airplane!. And can’t forget Monty Python’s Flying Circus… that was one of my best ebay finds.

I have long been a creator of content on the internet. I started off on h2g2.com, a website created by the awesome and clever Douglas Adams, who wrote the entirely too funny Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I was young and naive. It’s a good site but I only go back really once a year and try to remember my bloody log-in info. Then I moved on to the afore mentioned xanga and blogcritics, of which blogcritics is the most prestigious. Check it out, it’s awesome. Blogcritics.org, a “sinister cabal of superior writers.”

The last thing I shall mention in my virgin post here is that I go to Millersville University where I am in the process of making sure everyone realizes that I am totally awesome.